YvonneSo as not to show any spoilers I have not included a synopsis, however, you can find out more about the story by simply clicking on the cover image.
If you don’t really want to read any major spoilers, then you can tease yourself a little more, by reading the first few lines of the story … here
The voice came from the doorway, and Banks turned for his first glance of Mrs Rothwell. She was a tall woman with short grey hair and fine-boned, angular features, the small nose perhaps just a little too sharply chiselled. There seemed an unusually wide space, Banks thought, between her nose and her thin upper lip, which gave her tilted head a haughty, imperious aspect.
She picked at the wool on her sleeve with long, bony fingers. “As I said, he didn’t tell me much about work, not about the details, anyway. He qualified as a chartered accountant, of course, but that was only part of it. He had a genius for figures. He advised people what to do with their money, helped businesses out of difficulties. I suppose he was a kind of troubleshooter, if you like. A very exclusive one. He didn’t need any new clients and people only found out about him by word of mouth”.
Page 31-34 paperback edition
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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by … Jenn at ‘A Daily Rhythm’
Anyone can take part, by just doing the following:
Grab your current read.
Open to a random page.
- Share a couple of “teaser” sentences, from somewhere on that page.
- Be careful not to share “spoiler” sentences.
- Remember to share the title and author too.
- Head on over to ‘A Daily Rhythm’ and leave a link to your post, so that others can share it and you can share other people’s.
It would be great if you then decided to leave a comment for Jenn, as we all like to receive them and are interested in sharing your thoughts.
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Thank you for sharing this teaser. I’m not sure if it is a book I’d want to read on these grounds so am away to read the full synopsis.
After a run of poor novels my readers group is reading not just a good book but a REALLY good book.
Roger and Sandy went to fetch their hamper and as the Major tried not to think of truffles, which he had always avoided because they stank like sweaty groins, Abdul Wahid came out of the house. As usual he was carrying a couple of dusty religious texts tucked tightly under his armpit partly and was wearing the dour frown which the Major now understood was the result of excessive thinking rather than mere unpleasantness.
– Page 188/9, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson.
Hi Tracy,
I have read a couple of books in the DCI Alan Banks series by Peter Robinson, although it was so long ago, that there is no way I could remember enough about them to form a review. This book is from about half way through the series and does work well as a stand alone case, although you do have to make some assumptions about the private life of Banks, however that seems to be the case with most fictional detectives these days!
Several of the books also made for excellent television adaptations, starring Stephen Tompkinson as Banks – In fact there were many more episodes made than I actually recall watching, so hopefully they will be aired again on one of the catch-up channels, some time in the future.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1652216/
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I love the sound of Major Pettigrew and indeed the second book by the author ‘The Summer Before The War’. Personally I have never tried truffles and after that vivid description of them, I am never likely to 🙂
The Goodreads synopsis doesn’t reveal what year this story is set in, however I can well imagine that Major Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali would have caused quite a stir in the village, making for some interesting conversation and debate for your readers group!
I am looking forward to your review of this one, before I finally decide whether to read it or not 🙂
I like the descriptions in your teasers. My teaser this week comes from Dead Ice by Laurell K. Hamilton. Happy reading!
Hi Kathy,
Mrs. Rothwell does sound like quite an aloof character, who obviously thinks that the light shone out of her husband. I’m wondrring if she is naive enough to believe her own interpretation of what her husband was doing, or if she is simply being loyal to his memory!
Thanks for stopping by, I always appreciate your comments 😉
I’m wondering if she’s talking about her husband. I’m curious about Mrs. Rothwell.
My Tuesday post features Skinny Dip
Hi Sandra,
Good Guessing 🙂
Mr. Rothwell is a bit of a shady character though – or rather he was, he’s dead now!
Thanks for stopping by and ‘Happy Reading’
I know a Mrs. Rothwell who IS a bit snooty, though she doesn’t fit this description. 🙂
I remember liking the opening lines to this one and these sound promising, as well… so I look forward to your full review.
I’m currently between books, so I have nothing to offer.
Hi Kelly,
Author Peter Robinson and his protagonist DCI Alan Banks, are never going to provide a story with non-stop action and thrills, however they can always be relied on to offer up a sound and well considered police procedural and they always “get their man!”
I do hope that your Mrs. Rothwell doesn’t read your book blog, or that of any of your regular commenters 🙂 I’m not sure whether the official Mrs. Rothwell is really snooty, or simply very reserved and trying to restrain herself and keep control, after the death of her husband.
I hope that you manage to choose another book very soon – can’t wait to see what it is 🙂
I really like that title, “Dry Bones That Dream.” It blends horror with whimsical fantasy (to my ears). And then a woman in your excerpt has “long, bony fingers.”
I’m reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins… it’s turning out to be a pretty suspenseful mystery involving the theft of a diamond originally from India. And I’m guessing there will be murders along the way – it feels like that. Another interesting thing is that the book looks like it will trade viewpoints, and tell the story from different POVs; right now it’s from a house steward who’s an entertaining narrator.
Hi Hila,
I love the idea that you can find whimsical fantasy in the title of this book, it just goes to show that I don’t think about things quite as deeply, beacuse as soon as I read your analogy – I got it 🙂
The writing in this book is deceptively descriptive, even when the author is talking about Banks himself, who is a down-to-earth character of working class roots, with a liking for music and alcohol. He is however, very astute and persuasive enough to gather information, almost without being detected.
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Wilkie Collins is one of those vintage authors, whose writing has taken on classical status, but someone who I have yet to read, although ‘Moonstone’ does sound very good.
Goodreads describes this as epsitolary writing, so you should get to discover plenty of different points of view along the way!
I hope that you enjoy the book, thanks for stopping by and ‘Happy Reading’ 🙂